64 meetings, monday, march 21, april 4. 



Monday, March 21, 1881. 



Meeting this evening. The President in the chair. 

 liecords read. Donations and correspondence announced. 



Mrs. Eliza Stevens Low and Miss Elizabeth B. Per- 

 kins, both of Salem, were elected resident members. 



Mr. J. P. Cowles, of Ipswich, gave an informal talk 

 on China. His special subject was "In and about Pekin." 

 Some fifty-five lantern pictures were thrown upon the 

 screen by Mr. George L. Newcomb, exhibiting to the 

 audience the usual appearance and daily scenes of that 

 city, the streets, buildings, people, carriages, sedan 

 chairs, temples, tombs, idols, etc., each picture being 

 briefly and clearly explained by the speaker, whose long 

 residence in and close observation of that country and its 

 people, well qualified him for this duty. Some of the 

 characters of the Chinese language were shown and de- 

 scribed. Mr. Cowles' manner in conducting the exer- 

 cises of the evening was very happy ; the eliciting of 

 replies from some of the audience, especially of the 

 younger portion, to appropriate questions, led to sugges- 

 tions and trains of remarks that added much to the in- 

 terest and instruction of the evening's talk. 



Monday, April 4, 1881. 



Meeting this evening. The President in the chair. 

 Records read. Donations and correspondence announced. 



William Amasa Keese, of Salem, was elected a resi- 

 dent member. 



